As The Addison counts down to its 100th birthday this November, the storied events venue is celebrating by giving back to the community.
On Tuesday morning, 10 local nonprofits were each given a $10,000 grant to support their missions however they wish.
“This initiative is more than just a grant program, it’s a celebration of partnerships, shared values, and connective hope that drive positive change,” said Zoe Lanham, the vice president of The Addison. “By supporting these nonprofits, we’re helping to build a stronger, more connected future for everyone in our region.”
The winners were:
- Boca Raton Historical Society
- Boca Raton Police Foundation
- EmpowHERto Inc.
- Florida Atlantic University Foundation
- Friends of Foster Children of Palm Beach County
- Great Plains Foundation
- Impact 100 of Palm Beach County
- JARC Florida
- Sweet Dream Makers
- Twin Palms Center
A call for applications for the grants went out in May, open to 501c3 nonprofits based in Palm Beach or Broward Counties. The top 10 were then voted upon by a 24-person committee of The Addison employees and community members.
“It was wonderful to me to see a good handful of new organizations that I’d never heard of before, but was brought to tears by their mission and their vision,” Lanham said.
Karla Kannan, a board member for EmpowHERto Inc., was at the ceremony on behalf of the Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit that educates and mentors underserved Black and Latina girls on financial literacy, entrepreneurship and mental health. She described the grant as “very impactful.”
“Our mission is really to expand the programs so we get more girls to participate, and right now because of funding we have to turn some of them down. So we have a lot of demand and we want to serve them so this is extremely, extremely helpful.”
Chris Berens had the same sentiment for the Twin Palms Center, where he is the executive director. The nonprofit runs a day program for special needs adults, giving them the chance to socialize, gain independence, and have fun.
“We’re a small organization, it helps out tremendously to help us put together a fundraiser and…have things covered,” Berens said.
The Addison is hosting a centennial celebration on Nov. 9, alongside the City of Boca Raton, Florida Power & Light, Gunster Law, the Boca Raton Police Department—who are all 100 years old in 2025.
